Music That Matters
Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
There’s something I really dig about the idea of Dave Grohl drumming for NIN, yet I’m not sure why….
Said But True
“Once upon a time not too long ago, the Feds wanted all my music off the air… Now we’ll be on Sirius 24 hours a day, playing the best hip-hop — not just from Shady Records, but from everywhere. We’ll deliver an uncut hip-hop radio station like never before.”
– Eminem on his new satellite radio channel
Looks like Marshall Mathers reads me…
They Reminisce Over You
So a few weeks ago, I found out that long-time (and recently retired) New York Mets announcer Bob Murphy has cancer. Needless to say, this was a big blow to me. Not only did I grow up sneaking Mets games on WHN and WFAN as I listened to Murphy’s radio play-by-play instead of going to sleep, but as the years have gone by, I’ve become more and more of a fanatic of the “lesser†New York baseball club, a large part due to that familiar voice calling each pitch of each out of each inning of each game every ear.
As the years went on, Murph called fewer games per year, less innings per game. He moved aside, allowing Gary Cohen to become one of the best in the business, and later, to make room for Ed Coleman, Howie Rose, and others to get a few calls in. And by the time the 2003 season ended, Murph was ready to hang ‘em up with one last “happy recap†– and enjoy a long retirement. I was at “Bob Murphy Day†at Shea Stadium last year – the same game that saw Mike Piazza finally move over to first base – and had some of the best seats in the house as many of Murph’s professional colleagues paid tribute to the Hall of Famer. I was kind of torn, of course, having to sneak my headphones on here and there, so I could hear his final calls, while trying to pay attention to all of the live aspects of being at the ballpark. But I loved every minute of it. While it’s sad that Murph retired, it’s heartbreaking to have heard of his cancer. Here’s hoping he gets well, and does so soon.
After the deaths of Ronald Reagan and Ray Charles, I was convinced that the bad news about Bob Murphy was the “third†bit of sad news in a row (since, as they say, bad news comes in threes). Of course, as we now know, it turns out that Marlon Brando completed the power trio.
Brando’s death didn’t really affect me so much. Reagan was “my president†– the first person I ever remembered to hold the office, someone I admired as a child, and a man that was simply larger than life. And let’s face it, when you’re a kid, politics don’t matter. You just want someone in office who is “presidential†(whatever that means). Ray Charles was one of the first soulful voices I’ve ever heard grace the radio. One of the first pop songs I remember is “We Are The World†and it’s impossible to visualize that recording without Charles a big part of the picture; and I know mention of it is cliché by now, but his performance of “America, the Beautiful†at that 2001 World Series really tugged at the heartstrings.
But Brando? To me, he was simply “one of those old-time actors,†or “the guy from The Godfather†– a shame, I know. There are deaths that make you want to celebrate life; deaths that make you want to mourn what could have been; and deaths that make you go back and learn what you missed. I might not be sad at Brando’s passing, but I’ll be renting some of his classic films as soon as I have some free time… it’d be a shame to go much longer without finding out for myself why so many considered him the greatest actor of all time.
Till My Head Falls Off…
I’d like to start closing each column with a quick thought or three that tie music into “the real world†in one way or another – and hopefully lead to some feedback. Let’s try this one out:
– So, Courtney Love’s in the hospital… Makes me wonder if Frances Bean Cobain would be better off with her mother out of commission for a while. Not that I can remember who has custody of the poor girl nowadays, except that if it’s the same carousel of relatives that Kurt Cobain had taking care of him in his youth, his daughter has one great songwriting career ahead of her. Ya know, if I really wanted to get a reaction, I could probably turn this into an argument about the benefits of two-parent families… But I’d just like to say that isn’t it ironic that with such a high divorce rate in the U.S., Congress is even thinking about a Constitutional amendment banning certain forms of two-parent families? What’s next, making divorce and adultery illegal? What fun would THAT be?!
– I gave in and saw Michael Moore’s latest movie, and can’t help but wonder how much better it would have been if he used Bon Jovi’s 4800° Farenheit as the soundtrack?
– Speaking of Michael Moore, a liberal friend of mine recently asked how any American could like George W. Bush (and why those who do are so passionate about defending him and his policies), and I thought of two words: Clay Aiken. Bush-haters don’t just criticize the president; they passionately speak/act out against an administration they disagree with. And when valid arguments cross over into ad hominem, and critique turns into unfiltered anger (justified or not), those who like Bush feel like he’s being “picked on†and rush to his defense – sometimes blindly not recognizing his shortcomings – no matter what. If you still don’t see the connection to that almost-American Idol, then I’ll do it for you, SAT-style… Simon Cowell:Clay Aiken::Michael Moore:George Bush.
Until next time…
peace. love. moe.
– Matthew
